Elf Mastery

by Bryant Reil

  Lug acknowledged Kyla but was focused on the conversation between Heff and the goblin. The goblin was well-dressed and composing himself quite well against the tirades of the belligerent minotaur. He was clearly the one in charge. Heff was shouting that they refused to be treated like animals and that this was a breach of contract, and the goblin replied that article such-and-such let him do whatsit.

  “Hey!” Kyla hissed at Lug. “What's going on?”

  “Boss cut pay and make us work more. We strike.”

  “Oh!” Kyla thought a moment. She had no game plan, and work negotiations were entirely foreign to her. She prided herself in creative solutions but nothing came. Then a voice descended from above.

  “We shall push the wheel, then.”

  All voices stopped. Heads turned and glared at Kyla, who stared back blankly. There was such fury in Heff's eyes that despite her desire not to cast blame, she pointed up at Aura.

  “This cannot be. The world must turn. You are all disrupting everyone on the surface over your petty squabble. If you shan't make the world go around, then I shall.”

  Heff stomped forward. He stared at Kyla first, looked around carefully (for Denzig, she assumed) and then addressed Aura, who met him at eye-level.

  “You a scab?” he growled. “I don't care who you are or what cloud you floated down from. This is our world down here, and you best leave it alone.”

  “My world is disrupted because of your laziness.”

  Kyla flushed. She didn't feel Aura was in a good position to start offending people.

  “Lazy?” Heff snorted. “You calling me lazy? You wind-creatures spend your day floating through flowers and you call me lazy? I do more work in a day than your people do in a life.”

  “I have no desire to waste my wits on you. If you refuse to get back to work, I shall take matters into my own hands.”

  “You think you can push the wheel? Be my guest.”

  “Fine. Kyla, follow me.”

  Kyla looked at Lug nervously.

  “Not so tough without your dragon friend, are you?” Heff sneered.

  “Not so much. Aura, we can't push that thing. Trust me. But he can!” Kyla pointed at Lug, who looked startled and backed up a step. “Oh, come on!” she pleaded.

  “I agree with Heff. Boss treat us very bad.”

  “But...we NEED the earth to go around!”

  “That's right,” Heff snorted. “It's a vital service, isn't it? So you'd think our great leaders would treat us better than something they just scraped off the bottom of their shoes.”

  Aura drifted back to the corridor. “I am not concerned with your problems. Wait here, Kyla. I believe I know who can help.”

  Kyla shouted at Aura to wait but the Daughter of the Air vaporized into a blast of wind and flew back to the elevator.

  ***

  Waiting for Aura taught Kyla an important lesson: business negotiations were terribly boring. There was another animated back-and-forth between Heff and the goblin. From what she could understand, the goblin had walked in that morning and demanded they extend their shifts by an hour a day but were also looking at having their pay cut, and they should be happy just to have jobs. It did sound terrible once she understood the other side of the story. This was not what finally convinced her to side with the workers; rather, it was Heff. After the goblin left while shouting back threats of firings, a concerned elemental approached Heff and touched him on the shoulder.

  “Rrrhrrrm rrhrm,” it said in its native tongue. Or it was clearing its throat. Heff seemed to understand.

  “Don't worry buddy,” he assured the elemental. “Anyone loses their job, I'll go first. You don't worry.”

  Kyla's heart melted. Heff was a bully and a jerk. She hadn't supposed a bully and a jerk could also be kind. It was an odd feeling to see someone she was convinced was just horrible could sacrifice himself to help a friend. Kyla, who had taken to sitting on a large rock by the door, stood up and walked up to him. He watched her with unblinking eyes.

  “May I speak with you privately?” she asked as politely as she could. Heff said nothing but followed her as she led him back into the wheel chamber. Off to one side was a small room. There was no one inside, so Kyla decided this would be a good place to chat. Heff peered cautiously through the opening.

  “The dragon isn't here,” she assured him. “But you deserved what we did. You better know that.”

  Heff said nothing but took a step inside.

  “Look, I'm sorry about what's happening. I think I agree with you now. I'm glad you're being nicer to Lug.”

  Kyla waited, expecting some sort of response. None came.

  “I just want to say it's very brave of you to stand up for your friends. I never'd have thought you'd be the kind of guy that would do that. I thought you were just a big stupid jerk.”

  Heff snorted.

  “Anyway, I just wanted to say good job but it seemed weird to say it in front of everybody. I bet if you can start being nicer to people you could be a great guy.”

  Kyla did not know what to expect from this conversation, and therefore had no cause for disappointment when again Heff gave no reply. Yet disappointment came. She sighed and walked past him to return to her seat on the rock by the door. She heard a low, gruff voice as she left.

  “You are a good little elf.”

  Kyla turned back to see him watching her and then quickly looked away, because frankly she didn't want Heff to see the satisfied smile on her face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Power Struggles

  Aura drifted around the square. It was crowded and so she remained transparent. Four days of uninterrupted sunlight had made the air hot and dry, yet crowds of students still followed their daily routines of sitting on the brown grass. They talked and ate and napped as they always did. Yet today people sounded more agitated than normal. They spoke louder and for every calm discussion there was an argument nearby. Aura cast a cool breeze as she flew overhead. Perhaps some respite would soothe their spirits. She enjoyed helping them, and asked nothing in return; in fact, she preferred they didn't know she was there. Their conversations were of little interest to her, and she felt uncomfortable when they tried to engage her in chit-chat.

  She spotted Saul and increased her opacity so he could see her coming. He was with Lili again. Aura stopped short of the blanket on which they were sitting and descended slowly to the ground.

  Saul did not notice her at first. He was engrossed in telling a story to the demoness. “...and so Everit jammed it right in the pipe! Blew the whole thing up. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen! Of course, now we have to meet in the basement until they can repair it.”

  “You'd like my Pyromancy class,” the demoness said. “Nothing but explosions.” She looked up at Aura. “It's one of your loser friends.”

  “Oh! Yeah. Hey Aura.” Saul looked puzzled. Understandable. Aura seldom spoke to him even when he spoke first. She had certainly never sought him out.

  Aura spoke with her eyes fixed on Saul to avoid the demoness' uncomfortable glare. “Pardon my interruption. Kyla and I are seeking assistance to reconvene the day and night cycle. Would you please accompany me to the center of the earth? We have access to the wheel but lack the strength to push it.”

  Saul sat up and flexed his arm. It was not impressive. “Obviously you've come to the right man if you need some muscle,” he smirked.

  “I need the muscle in your head. I thought you could make some mechanism or device.”

  Lili sneered. “Did she just call you a muscle head?”

  “I apologize. I did not mean to be rude. I understand our relationship is not such that you feel inclined to help for my sake; yet I can see how uncomfortable this prolonged daylight is affecting the other students. I have offered my time and skills to relieve them. Would you be willing to offer yours?”

  Saul started to speak but the demoness but a hand on his arm and spoke first.

  “You know what? You and yo
ur little gaggle of friends treat Saul like garbage. Why should he help you?”

  Aura was flummoxed. She had seen the demoness treat Eunoe and Kyla very poorly in the past. It was rather hypocritical to play this card. “I appeal to his humanity. Unlike you, I believe he has some.”

  The demoness stood up.

  “Lili—” Saul began and grabbed her wrist, but she shook him off.

  The demoness' eyes sparked and flames flickered from her palms and fingertips, then quickly went out. “Hey, I've always left you alone. You're better off leaving me alone too.”

  Aura drifted silently. She did not care for this sort of confrontation. She felt the urge to turn invisible and let things be, but there was a greater problem at hand. The constant sun and lack of earth's rotation was disrupting the weather. Aura was not on the forefront of Aeolis' weather management but was subject to be sent home in the case of emergency. Emergencies would start soon if things didn't get under control.

  Lili stepped forward and bared her teeth. They were sharp and spittle bubbled up between them. Her hands ignited again. Aura prepared herself should the dry grass catch an errant spark.

  “If you have nothing else to say just get lost!” Lili grinned wickedly.

  Aura chose the diplomatic route. “You are a subterranean creature. Surely you need a break from the sun as well?”

  “No. I don't. I kind of like the heat. Maybe if you weren't so soft-skinned it wouldn't bother you so much either.” Lili gestured at the crowds of students. “Doesn't bother them. Maybe you just need to cut back on the whine.”

  Aura looked back to Saul. “Will you come with me?”

  Lili stepped in front of her eye line. “I was talking to you. Who do you think you are trying to order us around?”

  “I came to speak with Saul. Not you. Why must you insist on speaking on his behalf?”

  “Because I'm Saul's friend. You are nobody.”

  Aura turned opaque as wind began to swirl around her body. “I am Aura, Daughter of the Air, ninth child of Duke Ukko. My family has long borne the duty of carrying the winds and clouds, from the freezing mistrals of the north to the heavy rains of the tropical monsoons. We are wind, we are storm, we are thunder, we are rain. We are the hot winds that dry the desert sands, yet we are also the gentle breeze that soothes the farmer’s brow. We carry both life and death, for without air the living would not bear breath, yet our terrible storms bring death on their wings.”

  She was vaguely aware everyone was looking at her. A twister encircled her and she sent it spinning outward, kicking up dirt and dead grass and sending nearby students scrambling back. The demoness tried to ignite herself but the heavy winds were too much. She struggled to keep to her feet but was pushed off to the side where she stumbled and fell into a group of reclining dwarves. The gale stopped and Aura looked at Saul.

  “Oh, you're going to pay for that!” Lili jumped up and her hands burst into flame, but a quick gesture from Aura sent another gust of wind which sent her sprawling into a pair of orcs, who started shouting at her. Saul looked at Lili in despair, and then back at Aura, and back at Lili, who slapped one of the orcs. The orc jumped to his feet.

  There was a brief pause as Saul pondered his situation. Finally, he spoke. “I'm gonna pay for this later, but honestly, she's already pretty mad. At least you can get me away for a bit. What do you want me to do?”

  ***

  Kyla tapped her fingers nervously against the rock upon which she sat. Bickering had gone back and forth between Heff and the goblin, and then the goblin would mutter and wander off, and after a while some tall guy with white skin came and looked around, and then left. It was dreadfully dull. Kyla tried to pass the time by tossing rocks at made-up targets on the wall, but the constant clatter of stones annoyed the elementals. Kyla thought that was hypocritical as their entire language sounded like clattering rocks. Maybe she had accidentally pounded out something rude. She lay back to catch a few winks of sleep.

  A brisk wind awakened her. Kyla sat up with a kink in her back. She had managed to doze off but her back hadn't found the sleep as pleasant as the rest of her body. She caught sight of Aura descending from the ceiling. She was opaque now, and followed by a mound of white cloth with goat legs. Kyla rubbed her eyes. It was Saul carrying a pile of bed sheets. Still dazed, Kyla grabbed one, wrapped herself in it, and found a nice corner to finish her nap.

  ***

  The sails weren't hard to put up, but Saul could have done without the heckling from the minotaur. It was a simple design and Saul thought to himself how easy it would be to automate the wheel. Machines, after all, didn't go on strike. Saul personally didn't mind the constant sunlight. In fact, he had never been so tanned, which made him feel more confident than usual.

  He tied the last rope and walked around the wheel to ensure all the ropes were taut. There was going to be a lot of force behind Aura's wind and he worried the sheets would tear.

  “Slow at first,” he advised the air spirit, or Daughter of the Air as she preferred to be called. He felt some pride that she had chosen to come to him for help.

  A wind picked up around Aura and the sails, tied from each crossbeam to a point on the axle like masts on a ship. The sheets filled and billowed in the wind and there was a low creak. There was a slight turn – maybe an inch, probably less – and the contraption pulled back to its resting position.

  “Ha!” snorted the minotaur. “You think your brains are any match for our brawn?”

  “Again!” Saul called out. “A little harder.”

  Again the winds picked up. The sails filled again, and again the great beam creaked and groaned. The wheel inched around, slowly at first, but picked up speed and soon was turning at a steady clip. Saul turned to the minotaur and elementals and clapped as he smiled.

  “There's what a little brains can do. Looks like you've all been replaced!”

  The minotaur snorted and stomped forward. Saul jumped back in fright. He was sure his brains would not match the minotaur's brawn in a fight. He glanced at Kyla, who was wrapped in a ball in a far corner, her face to the stone wall. Aura was transfixed on her work.

  “Hold on,” Saul said with hands raised defensively. “I'm not here to fight. Look, I just made you job ten times easier! The rest of you can go do – you know – something else.”

  The minotaur stomped forward again, this time coming right up and leaning over Saul. Saul swallowed. “Or – you know – you can just hang out here.”

  As uncomfortable as Lili's temper made Saul, he wished she were here. She was fearless. And she could shoot fire. Saul had horns and hooves, but so did the minotaur. And his were much, much bigger. Saul took several quick steps back.

  “Look, I mean, it's obvious you're upset. I would be too, if someone took my job of pushing something around and around all day long. I mean, it must be some kind of dream job. But come on. I can get the same amount of work done with a dozen bed sheets. Time to move on. Right?”

  “If anyone of us lose our jobs over this, your new job will be decorating my den. By that I mean stuffed and mounted.” The minotaur's voice was deep and low.

  Surprisingly it was the old goblin who saved him.

  “Stop what you are doing right now, young lady!” he shouted at Aura. Heff stood tall and looked back, stepping away from Saul and allowing the sweating satyr a breath.

  “You have no command over me,” Aura replied.

  “I am the Deputy Minister of Public Works! I am responsible for this work site, and you are not only trespassing but you are interfering with a labor dispute of a royal branch of the government!”

  “Arrest me then. I'm sure my father will be pleased.”

  “And who, pray tell, is your father?”

  “My father is Duke Ukko, of House Stribog of Aeolis, Lord of the Winds and Master of Storm.”

  The goblin looked surprised but retained his composure. “Look, missy, your dad may be the big man of the sky but he isn't King. I answer to Minister
Jax who answers to Oberon himself, and if I have to—”

  “If Oberon has issue with my actions he may tell me himself, not through one of his lackeys.”

  The goblin huffed wordlessly. The minotaur laughed. “You're costing us our jobs, scab, but you've got backbone for someone with no spine.”

  Saul looked at Aura carefully. As she concentrated on her work she became more translucent. He was still figuring out how to read her opacity: different emotional states drove her one way or the other. Now he could see straight through her. Sure enough, no bones. How about that.

  There was much grumbling from the elementals in their stony language, but of course he understood none of it. The goblin looked angry but made several jibes at the workers threatening to replace them all with an air spirit.

  “I am a Daughter of the Air!” Aura shouted at each air spirit reference.

  His job complete, with no reward or applause forthcoming, and nothing of interest left for him here, Saul left without a word.

  ***

  Kyla shot up sweating. She grabbed her arms and legs and sighed in relief. She hadn't been crushed by boulders after all. It was just a horrible dream about a rock slide. She looked around, and it took a moment to remember where she was. The number of elementals had decreased since she first arrived. Heff and a few of the others were throwing rocks at a tarp they had hung on a far wall. It was much louder than Kyla's earlier pebble-tossing game, yet no one was complaining now. Lug was there, though he was standing quietly at the back. Heff hurled a large rock at the tarp. The elementals jeered him when the boulder dropped short. A stocky elemental stepped in, pulled a large stone from the floor, and chucked it straight into the tarp. The others cheered, and even Heff gave him a polite clap.